Published: Friday, April 13, 2012 at 1:02 p.m.

SARASOTA- The North Tamiami Trail, long a thorn in the city's side for its rundown buildings and crime, is now home to a hip new coffee shop with a mission.

About 60 community members and government officials attended a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday for The Coffee Loft, a nonprofit cafe geared toward students who attend the four colleges in north Sarasota.

The Coffee Loft was created by members of the Woodland Community Church in Bradenton, which plans to donate profits to a national charity that brings clean water to third-world villages and local food banks.

"We know this area is in need of revitalization," Woodland Pastor Tim Passmore told the crowd, which included three members of the City Commission that has pledged to rebuild the area.

A few blocks south, construction crews were working on a new Walmart grocery store that will replace the Winn-Dixie that closed in 2010. When the grocery store closed, residents in the city's poorest neighborhoods complained they had lost a community necessity.

City officials welcomed Walmart's new grocery concept, which has targeted low-income areas throughout the country, with open arms.

Despite hefty tax breaks and incentives, the area has struggled to attract sustainable businesses that create jobs.

Passmore said his group is more concerned with building a community hub — where students can study and where musicians and artists can perform — than in spreading religion.

"Nothing goes back into the church," Passmore said. "We just want to do it because we want to be good citizens. We aren't here to push religion."

Woodland members hope to expand their organization to Sarasota, Woodland said, with hopes of helping to rebuild the North Trail. But the Coffee Loft will soon become its own nonprofit, he said, with looser ties to the church.

The rehab of a vacant building into a bustling two-story hub for culture, arts and coffee is among early signs for rebirth on the troubled stretch of road, city officials said.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," Sarasota Mayor Suzanne Atwell said. "This is exactly what we need — community partnerships. You've made coffee mean so much more."

The Coffee Loft, at 5025 N. Tamiami Trail, hopes to become a popular destination for students and faculty, who will receive a 10 percent discount.

Other community groups, like the local "Taking Back Lives" charity, which is working to bring schools to remote towns in Africa, will be allowed to meet in the loft's meeting area.

The shop's manager, Daniel Campana, 26, said he hopes the nonprofit can do good for the community while also filling a void.

Students, he said, have needed a safe and comfortable place to gather and study.

"We're not just here to serve coffee," he said. "We're here to a serve a mission."